When I was in college, smart home technology was still something that was super futuristic. Today, that’s changed a lot. If I were starting college today, though, I’d bring a few HomeKit items to make dorm life more comfortable and functional. Between cramped desks, bad overhead lighting, and shared everything, a little automation can go a long way. Whether it’s turning off lights from bed or checking if your fan’s still running, here’s what I’d pack today if I were heading off to campus.

HomeKit, Apple’s smart home framework, is great most of the time, and awfully frustrating when things go wrong. This new iOS app wants to change that.

In the midst of Apple’s AI challenges, some have called on the company to dip into its enormous bank account and make a splashy AI acquisition. Here’s why the lack of acquisition could signal something important about Apple’s current AI progress.

One of the bullet points in Apple’s announcement of its increased US manufacturing spend made a big, but very non-specific, claim. Apple said that it was working with Samsung on an “innovative new technology which has never been used before anywhere in the world.”

Although the company was being mysterious, we likely know what that means – and it’s great news not just for the iPhone 18, but also for future iPhones beyond it …

We all know the feeling we get after dropping our iPhone and immediately inspecting the glass for damage. Now imagine dropping your iPhone out of an airplane. That happened over the summer for conservationist Ashley Prange.

In just one month, Apple will unveil its full iPhone 17 lineup. The brand new Air model will get a lot of attention, but Apple also has big changes coming for iPhone 17 Pro Max. I’m tentatively planning to buy a 17 Air, but there are three Pro Max features in particular that could make Apple’s premium iPhone hard to resist.

If you weren’t already planning to dress up as Girl with a Pearl Earring for Halloween, CASETiFY has a good reason to change your mind. A new accessory seeks to replicate the look from Johannes Vermeer’s classic painting using your AirPods Max. Yes, really.

There are few ad campaigns more memorable to longtime Apple followers than the “Think Different” series. And in coordination with an App Store feature story highlighting several modern day creative trailblazers, Apple has released a new iPhone wallpaper called “Here’s to the Dreamers.”

Yesterday I highlighted macOS Tahoe’s aggressive behavior of putting nonconforming app icons inside an ugly gray box of shame. The change seems to affect the Mac user experience more than it impacts the app developer. It makes the actual icon 20% smaller and 80% harder to recognize.

A great thing about the Mac, though, is the ability to customize app icons. This can be a temporary solution. You just need to track down an app icon that works. Here’s how to swap out app icons on macOS Tahoe and avoid the gray box effect.

It’s been nearly six months since Apple changed a crucial piece of technology inside the iPhone. This timeline is great news for the all-new iPhone 17 Air coming in just a few short weeks.

During an uncharacteristically long video stream yesterday, OpenAI announced GPT-5, alongside a series of interface and usability improvements to its chatbot. Here’s everything new with ChatGPT.

Earlier today, OpenAI announced GPT-5, its latest model to power ChatGPT. The new frontier model is a significant leap forward in a lot of areas. But when will ChatGPT integration within Apple Intelligence adopt it? That’s actually happening rather soon…

When Lip-Bu Tan took over as Intel’s CEO last March, the market reacted with a 13% stock bump, signaling renewed confidence in the company’s future. But today, after weeks of internal tensions, Intel’s situation has grown even more delicate, now drawing scrutiny from the White House.

9to5Mac is brought to you by CleanMyMac: Tidy up your Mac and iPhone today! Try 7 days free and use our code 9TO5MAC15 for 15% off. Also check out CleanMyPhone for your iPhone!

macOS Tahoe 26 gives your Mac a significant redesign, headlined by the new Liquid Glass design language. The update also brings new ways to personalize your Mac, with new icon tinting features, menu bar customization, and more.

Here’s how these new customization options work.

British sports car maker Lotus is upgrading the CarPlay experience for iPhone users this week with a free software update.

Today, Blackmagic Design announced a major update to DaVinci Resolve Studio, with extended support for editing spatial videos captured with its immersive camera. Here’s what’s new.

The F1 movie isn’t just a hit for Apple. The Formula One Group credits Apple in part for its recent revenue boost.

When Apple first launched cycling directions on Apple Maps, the feature was limited to a handful of cities like New York and Beijing. Since then, Apple has gradually expanded coverage. Now, cycling directions are also available in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Apple Wallet, like every other iOS 26 app, is getting some Liquid Glass UI changes this year. But iOS 26 is also an especially packed update for new features coming to Apple Wallet. Here’s what’s new.

This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column at 9to5Mac offering a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: Apple Watch Ultra 3’s screen bump, iPhone 17 event date, curious case leaks, an OLED MacBook Pro, and more. Here are this week’s Apple rumors.